The White House begins testing Samsung and LG phones - or are they?

According to the Wall Street Journal, The White House is starting to test devices other than BlackBerry — namely Samsung and LG. The tests are still in the early stages and any implementation is still "months away" however. Neither Samsung nor LG commented on the rumor, but a Defense Department spokesman said that The White House "is piloting and using a variety of mobile devices".

President Barack Obama has held tightly to his BlackBerry over the years, and we're not quite sure he's ready to let it go just yet. There's no sign of him switching away from his beloved BlackBerry for now.

Hot of the press from BlackBerry:

Press Release

BlackBerry Statement:

"We value the long-term relationship we’ve had with the White House and have been securing their mobile communications for more than a decade. The U.S. government requires the highest levels of security. We were the first mobility platform to receive the 'Authority to Operate' certification from the Department of Defense.

Governments test new technologies frequently, but nevertheless the U.S. government continues to choose BlackBerry for its unmatched security and cost effectiveness. Other vendors such as Samsung and LG still have a long way to go to catch up to meet the government’s stringent requirements and certifications. BlackBerry’s operating system has already received the highest security approvals from the United States, United Kingdom and NATO, and our latest operating system, BlackBerry 10, is already certified for high-security users in various NATO countries."

Reader comments

The White House begins testing Samsung and LG phones - or are they?

@Richard Thanks. That's just what I needed to know and show. Androids have more holes than swiss cheese!
And our government wants to do what???
I think the guys in DC who think they can cut corners has more holes in head than swiss cheese too!
BlackBerry is still king!

In light of the new headlines about being able to bind spyware to apps and sell those apps to the general public and Noooo Google would not know it's in the app store because it cannot be detected by Google and all this for under $300.00 the White House what's to do what???
Sorry I forgot the name of the machine but it really does exist and is quite simple remarkable to tell the truth and so all you guys who are hyping up the security settings in android phones don't know what you are talking about.
Also according to a spokes person at BlackBerry there is so much stacked software in android phones it too is an excellent opportunity to sneak spyware into a phone.
From what I see and from my own personal experience I would never use an android phone for anything remotely connected to the White House other than to post comments in the complaint box.
The battery life of those phones are a joke and become even more hilarious as you load more apps into them in many cases they become "Hot lines"!!!
I have had them rooted and that's were the problem really begins, Think ya gonna save battery by rooting? Think again, it may save some standby time but not enough to write home about and that too opens up a few back-doors to spyware.
This is a horrible idea that's only designed to put BlackBerry's reputation under because they will release a key to get into blackberries as they transmit messenger data to the NSA.
Well how can they when they don't even have a key?!?!?
BlackBerry will always be number one in security as far as I can tell because that's their number one focus which like a great meal it takes time to prepare which is probably one of the reasons why it took so long to bring BlackBerry 10 to market, you just don't rush perfection.

Maybe the girls are feeling left out, all their friends are spotting cool iclones and iphones. Just because my dad's the president of the free world doesn't mean I don't have to use instagram and freaking facetime... duhhh

Is it just me, or does just "even months" of testing still seem like something of a short timeframe to ensure that a communications device to be used by the staff of The President of the United States is secure? I would have expected testing to go on for several months to a year and most likely a bit more.

How can you move from the BlackBerry platform if security is of the utmost importance? BB10 is stable and secure, which is exactly what a government agency needs. Let's dismiss popularity in the consumer market and focus on popularity in the consumer market. Such an idiotic premise to even change teams. If they do move, let them remain on BES or face the lack of security in a Windows like OS!

This has been DE-BUNKED!
UPDATE: Blackberry (BBRY)/White House Switching Rumors Create 'Misimpression'

QUOTE:
BlackBerry (Nasdaq: BBRY) is on watch after White House spokesman Jay Carney said, "The Executive Office of the President is not participating in a pilot program with regards to our handheld electronic devices."
Reports that the White House is switching from BlackBerry to Samsung or LG may have created a "misimpression," he added.

There are so many comments about Android and malware on here. As one person commented, how do we not know that they aren't testing these devices to use on BES 10. If BES 10 is supposed to be secure enough to manage all devices, why wouldn't the government test different platforms on BES 10. I have used BB10, Android, iPhone, windows, and palm. Each has their pros and cons. I have yet to experience any malware on my android devices. I am actually considering BES 10 Cloud Service for my business once it is made available, and I am very interested in learning how BES 10 handles managing other platforms, since I'll be using my Note 3.

I read a nice article the other day how rooted phones are such a risk to companies and how your byod and even distributed phones must be strictly maintained.

Of course for whatever reason the government will be dumb and open themselves up for a big issue. BlackBerry will suffer at the loss of customers and image. They just need to survive until something bad happens and then jump in on it and save the day. Let us hope the inevitable leeks are not something that costs lives for the sake of having cool galaxy phones.

Android suffers from malware because it is open source. In an ideal world open source let's anyone access the code with the idea that they will use it for the benefit of others and not abuse it but unfortunately we don't live in an ideal world and making android secure will always be a headache

I wonder if they're thinking about going Android because of the new capabilities in BES? That would be ironic, but not the end of the world for BB. In my personal experience, folks outside of IT usually only think about the devices, because that's what they know. There's a lot of coin to be made on the licensing side too.

Exactly!! I'd hope the government would want to test out BES 10 MDM features. How else will they even know it works like they want. Also, a government issued device is so gimped u can barely do much on it besides make phone calls and read emails.

The only reason i can think for them to test out androids is simply for the amount of apps available and growing. I highly doubt the military is implementing remote access and control over their drones using qnx or a blackberry device. At this point, it's more a matter of convenience than it is about security...
i'm sure the testing these White House "Beings" are doing involves some military level security apps. If they can approve those than i'm sure they will eventually do away with any and all blackberries....but of course, as soon as their phones get compromised (shouldn't take long), then they will go down to the vault and breakout their blackberries again.

Just wait until a big leak to wikileaks happens. And someone mirrors the fucking shit out of that leaked information. TROLOLOLOL. Yes, it is gonna happen with all androids. Oh and did they NOT do any research about SDS? Yes! SUDDEN DEATH SYNDROME!! It affects both SAMSUNG and LG now, used to only be LG, now that Samsung fucked themselves over.. it's now Samsung too. What if an ENTIRE FLEET suddenly shut off for good when they were needed, all at once or in segments/phases? Damn!!! Never heard that happen with blackberry. Never will probably, unless of course... water damage and stupidity of putting the battery back in to further FUBAR it.

Someone hook "Barry" up with a new Blackberry Q20. Merikans (myself included) can't have the Prez on a crappy unsecured Samsung or LG phone. I'm a dumb azz hillbilly and when I think phone security I think Blackberry, Not Samsung (TVs) or LG (washer and dryers)

This has been known for some time now. They've planned on using a variety of mobile platforms including BB10.
The difference is only BB10 and PlayBook are ATO certified. Android and iOS failed and keep failing. And even if they ever get approved, would you trust them?

I have BlackBerry Z10 & android Razor MAXX witch one I love the most is my BlackBerry why is have more security & faster browse then the android or Samsung, LG, Brand name iPhone. The government need QNX in all there car see how good technology is

This will never pass the second stage of testing. BlackBerry is the one and only secure front runner for any government and as long as BlackBerry stick to there guns about security no other device will be able to handle. #blackberryforever #blackberrysecure

I'm so sick and tired with pumping negative articles about the USA government will dump BlackBerry phone for Asian brands. Every time there is a leaked news from the White House about testing other devices to replace BlackBerry, the media ran out like a stamped to pump this negative news about BBRY. Of course the White House has to test every devices that be sold in the USA, so that they don't get accuse of bias toward one manufacturer. If Germany government uses strictly BlackBerry for the most secure device, I don't think any differences with the US government for not using BlackBerry unless, they are looking for big trouble down the road. Just wait until testing is done, everything is still BlackBerry for the most secure device.

Serves BBRY right. It's only taken 15 months for them to "almost" get their operating system to be on par with everyone else. They are supposed to be leading edge not bleeding edge. Just look at the 25 most needed improvements. If all of those could be implemented within 30 days (which ain't gonna happen), they would then be "on par" not ahead. Then throw in the fact that their "leading edge" Z30 phone is about to become a dinosaur (in wireless years) with no new replacement planned or announced. That is a recipe for failure. With everything the Chinny Chen Chen is talking about, they are still not "leading". There are a lot of Presidents now in charge of many divisions. They all better be working on delivering stuff that will blow us away and quickly. Apple and Android already have their consumer businesses flourishing. No wonder they have nothing else left to do but go after this one little sliver of cake that BBRY has left. It won't take long when those guys put an army of talented programmers on the case for them to out maneuver BBRY on the whole "security" thing. SO many problems, such little time.....

Contrary to the implications from BB, BB phones and not the only hardened devices approved bt DISA. The White House is now only coming on board because the chief is a BB fan. The change may be just a matter of time.

I was saddened today by this news, and then learning that BB sold off "most" of its real estate—some 3M sq ft. BB needs a little serendipity to capitalize on. Here comes the death of competition…

The WH and other companies would be silly NOT to test the competition. As a BES Admin for a large government body, understanding what the competition offers is key and in terms of security, BlackBerry is King.

Not going to happen,it would be Apple as their alternative to BlackBerry, this is just policy, they must shop and check out the market. It's free market, in the end if they are really interested in a "secure" device the choice would be obvious.

Agreed, android over iphone lololol just cannot believe it. if they were ditching BlackBerry I could see apple getting it but android. A couple weeks ago Israel found a vulnerability when they were testing knox?

Just wow. It's true, they would have to lock that thing down so much, I can't see the NSA sorting thru 15 million plus lines of code attempting to circumvent all of Google's data mining policies, all of the wide open holes and plausible exploits in the OS itself, holy Geez. If they did somehow pull this off, that thing wouldn't be usable in the way most people think of Android. Wouldn't exactly be playing around on the Web or in the Play store and stuff like that. If there's something internally so appealing about Android (unless the named companies are somehow offering a way better deal), why don't they just start utilizing the Android runtime instead?

Wait guys I just a wild revelation. Consider the severity of Google's data mining, combine this concept with the tactic of extreme market saturation and penetration and what do we have? A perfect branch addition or replacement for the NSA. Google Inc. That branch of the company will remain undocumented and unnamed, because considering their market position right now, what better way to monitor the masses? Yikes this tinfoil hat is tight.

Prism is already in place.
And full unencrypted cloud backup to Google servers is the default setting / suggestion on Android. That includes Wi-Fi passwords and other sensitive data. Now you just have to tap it at the source to pwn...

Definitely read the title as 'begins' lol...stupid brain auto-correct.

Any who, BlackBerry needs to kick the White House in the teeth with the latest and greatest. If the WH tests LG and Samsung and decide to stick with BlackBerry someone better start shouting from the raptures at BlackBerry.

Do you really think that she did not know? Don't be silly. She of course has to act outraged as she has to feed into the sentiment of the population. Also, adopting BlackBerry by German government had nothing to do with the spying "scandal".

It is good to see the White House moving to a new policy of transparency. This way everyone can eavesdrop on the president's phone calls. It would be better that all government employees be given non Blackberry phones so this transparency would be universally available. Testing costs can be eliminated as we all know the phones that are non secure. Going further, the cost of having the NSA would be eliminated. Huge savings for the country but more unemployment.

I'm not sure replacing BB devices has anything to do with $$ and favors. I'm sure everyone just can't get enough of Samsung (Korea) and LG (Korea) money. They more likely take money from apple than Korean companies.

This is so naive. Do you really think that one persons preference for a device will dictate the entire state's policy? BlackBerry could hand-deliver these in gold and it won't change a thing. Maybe if they were selling to Turkmenistan or Tajikistan.

BlackBerry and the majority of Crackberry fans are in dreamland regarding the solidity of BlackBerry's base in government and enterprise spaces - absolute dreamland. If they think they can defend that hilltop from constant and growing bombardment from companies who will get better and better at security AND have cool devices and OS options...well, we will see.

For the record, I'm rooting for BlackBerry to get some rock star devices out in order to get the OS and phones enough popularity to provide BlackBerry with a more balanced 'playbook', pun intended.

Agreed. The enterprise only play is not very likely to succeed. With the erosion of privacy being secure has lost a lot of its meaning. If anything, the trend is to adopt more technologies that are easier to manipulate and control, all in the name of security.

Also, BlackBerry ia in dreamland if they think that they can drive consumer demand through enterprise. It is not going to happen. The market is very much the other way around now.

One other thing to acknowledge objectively is that the level of adoption of iOS by non-mobile industries and the continuing push by Apple to penetrate more consumer (and business) segments really means that iOS and Apple's ecosystem in general are here to stay. More than that, they will probably continue to be the primary ecosystem despite the lesser market share than Android. Android is the "low cost variant" for the masses and it too benefits from a strong adoption by non-core industries. It too is here to stay.

I think the more this goes on the more apparent it will become that BlackBerry needs a left-field strategy to really recover, and they will have to succeed at it too. The gap between them and Apple/Google is just too big right now. Please note that this also applies to Microsoft, who is also fighting for scraps.

Disagree on everything. BlackBerry has said very clearly a hundred times they know what they faced. Chen even "it would be a pretty big deal if BlackBerry could be saved" so they know they face destruction. Chen also said if Samsung could deliver on Knox then it would be a legitimate threat.

Everyone and their mother knows what needs to be done and we cross our fingers something can happen to save the boat from the abuss.

With the right man at the helm, BlackBerry is very much a legitimate contender for one of the greatest comebacks in tech history. Apple faced a similar plight not too long ago. But most have forgotten, or are too young to know about it. But remember who started this all. The company that singlehandedly created the smartphone industry, can singlehandedly reinvent the industry once again. Whether that man is Prem, or Chen, is up for debate. It's time to go all in.

BlackBerry always have the same statement for everything dealing with their security so no surprise there. I wouldn't think Obama would give away his precious bold he held on to for so long but he does need an upgrade. Chen needs to get BB10 into his hands very soon. Hurry and release the Q20.

Don't think android devices will ever be approved for secured transmissions in the white house. It would be stupid, BlackBerry has always been super-reliable and secure, I see no valid reason for american intelligence to change

This will not be good for BlackBerry if the White House goes Android. DoD, BoA and now this. It will take a major hacking scandal for major organizations to realize what a mistake these moves have been. And Good is not good. I have heard complaints from friend who had to move from BlackBerry to iPhone in regards to Good. Hates it.

They have at least do testing on other phones in order to confirm that BB 10 is the most secure. It's a government contract. It's their duty to try out all of the alternatives. I don't think this is a threat to BB at all. If anything it will work out well for BB because it will show that the Whitehouse has tested all the others and come to its conclusion fairly that BB is the best.

This actually made the CBC a few months ago in a tiny little unnoticed article... I posted it on Facebook like people should be concerned, from an economic point of view... I have nothing against American companies of course, but in the era of buy American, shouldn't the Canadian government at least support those Canadian companies that are struggling? why the cold shoulder? The rest of the world has governments who buy from and support local efforts, while our gov't is only concerned about saving money where it feels good, and trying to act cool? especially when tax payers have to fork over twice as much for these dip shits to use iPhone now... hopefully this will polarize MPs by letting us see who actually cares about supporting Canadians... we just look at their phone! anyhow like I said, to my American buds reading this, I have nothing against Americans, it's just we have a problem up here where a lot of folks wanna to American stuff made in China, because that's who can afford to market their stuff the best, and that's not too hot for those of us who wanna have jobs up here lol.

Boeing Black phone = James Bond ish, will self destruct if tampered with PHYSICALLY, not sure about the software side.

I don't doubt that the government is TESTING all possible new hardware out there to replace the aging fleet of BB's. This doesn't mean anything until the contract for new hardware is inked and the money changes hands.

Only more e susceptible to malware because 80 % market share and people have the option of installing from Unknown sources. Only dumb people are going to make malware for something like BB that has 3 % of the market. Same goes to MS. Apple doesn't let you install anything that isn't from their app store. I'm sure they locked that down or there have their own app store that they have to use on these Android phones.

Your statement is bogus. When BlackBerry had the majority of market share, it was still secure. Apple doesn't let you install anything that isn't from their App Store but iOS can be jail broken so it defeats the purpose. Samsung has already tried and failed to lock down Android with Knox.

How long ago was that? Times have changed. Computers were the #1 target for virus and malware. That has shifted in the last few years. Look at the computer shipment collapsed in the last few years while phone and tablet sales continue to eat up that market. All based on Android and iOS. Computing has shifted and so has the focus of malware. There are SDK's for making easy apps and the trick is to get people to turn off the protections on your phone. As long as you download from Google Play and you leave the default of not allowing unknown apps your chances of any very small. Then if you go online to sites like mobile nations and look for their top apps of the week / month / year and pick from there then you won't ever have any issues. My argument remains true. Being able to install in app you want in Android by turning off the security is the number 1 reason they target android. Also along with that is the market share of 80% world wide. Programmers have shifted from making computer programs to phone programs. When BB was at the top of their game the phones had much less capabilities. Now some people use their phones for EVERYTHING. BB devices years ago was for communication. Much less of a computer then todays smart phones.

This - I Agree.
I don't think Android has a BIG security issue as people claim. If you ONLY install apps and games you need from Google play store you'll have no issue.
Unless, the your browser let malware sneak into the systems by make you click on ADs and stuffs on your phones. I think that is possible.

Only if you turn off the security and any apps that morph after you install them are detected later Google has a new 2nd check system that constantly checks your apps and will tell you if an app was found after the fact to have malware.

We dont know the details yet, but we can be sure if Androids phones are considered to be used at very important places, they would have thought about all what we talk here. If they can some how restrict/disable any apk to be installed on the phone without Admin approval, then that should take care of security concerns.

I am not implementing Android is anyway better than Blackberry when it comes to security. I think android is a place which has more doors and more people knows how to pick 'em. But if they want, they can improve the locks and restrict access a lot. I sincerely want someone to pick those locks.. after the Android say "Now Android is Secure"

It has always been beyond my grasp how a person/company/governmental org that has put security on top of their list of priorities can even think of an Android powered phone as a valid option. Android !? Hello !

Unless I'm wrong, isn't this exactly what BlackBerry is touting....that it can manage all security for all devices in a BYOD environment. So then why the surprise....aren't organizations simply taking advantage of this feature that BlackBerry offers? Am I missing something here? And please, no reason to hate, I'm just asking.

I think that the White House likely has it's own device management software.
The white house is also great marketing for BlackBerry handsets, which are an integral part of JC's four-pillar strategy. They don't need to sell a lot of handsets, but it has to not lose money.

BlackBerry offers a BYOD solution with BES 10 and will offer a better one with BES 12, but there are other MDM companies that provide good solutions for BYOD MDM. BlackBerry's advantage is that it is the only one that works with BlackBerry handsets. If companies loose interest in BlackBerry handsets, they are a lot more likely to just go with another solution for MDM altogether.

I agree fully they need to show the power of BES and the of BB10 especially to Obama like he is rocking a very old BlackBerry device it bugs me big time since bb10 and BlackBerry OS is night and day....

@Prem...they are a bunch of A__holes,did you hear about the teenager who got to the top of the new World Trade Center in New York!!!Passed all their security un-noticed,and these are things that happen in front of our eyes,my god think about what we can't see.

Like Prem said, maybe so, until something bad happens.
So many organizations go with the cheaper option initially, then realize the mistake and end up spending more correcting the problem than they would have if they just chose the correct, though possibly more expensive, solution in the beginning.

Naw. Once you go BYOD, you don't go back. Besides, private enterprise handling confidential matters has been BYOD for years now without the disaster you predict or hope for. In the end, BlackBerry has to create devices that are much better than the consumer devices that employees already want and know how to use. It's really all a consumer game now. Mike L. realized this, but acted slowly, and Thor seemed committed to competing for the future. Chen seems to believe that in a year or two, he can make companies think they need BES even if they don't use BlackBerry devices. I hope he's right, but I suspect he's wrong. Actually, I hope he changes his mind and commits to winning the device war and collecting all the more valuable mobile winnings associated with that win... We'll see...

Media outlets are reporting this news as if it means the White House is dumping BlackBerry.

That's not the case, but John Chen had better be working overtime to retain the WH as a customer. They should offer to outfit the WH with BB10 devices.

I know there are a few out there who still consider legacy BB superior. I think they are in the minority. For the majority of us, once you've gone BB10, you have no interest in going back. BB10 is simply wonderful. Especially 10.2.1!

Hope they are not on AT&T and STILL wating for 10.2. Thanks for selling the Z30 direct but please just bypass AT&T and release the software. It's clear AT&T will never sell another BB device to the public so nothing to lose.

Chen was at the white house not sure if he was talking one on one with the prez and they are putting a building in washington for better access to the concerns of the US. The guy is jumping through hoops for them as he should .